


My Liege

by extremelyperturbed



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sir James is Jimmy Price, Will's dogs appear but in a different manner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-15 06:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2219475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bit of a change of pace in that it's Beverly & Will centric.  In response to this kinkmeme:</p><p>I remember Bryan explaining that Beverly is Will's champion, and that struck me as perfect.</p><p>So the prompt is: Will is a fief lord or a nobleman or a king, whose nation is small and humble but who is ultimately kind and gentle. Beverly is sent by lord/nobleman/king Jack from a bigger, stronger kingdom, to help defend Will's tiny land. At first Beverly believes the rumors about Will being a weak king, Will being mad, Will being vulnerable--but she comes to realize just how amazing he really is, enough that she's willing to lay down her life and swear fealty to him willingly.</p><p>I consider it a friendship but Will/Beverly is fine too ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Why do you want to protect the neighboring kingdom?” said Lady Beverly, knight of the kingdom of Crawford to her king.

King Jack said, “It may be a small kingdom but it serves as a buffer between us and some other more powerful kingdoms. There is no way that I would want to have my lands directly next to Vergerland with its mad king who keeps his sister imprisoned in a tower lest she fulfill a prophecy that any son born of her will overthrow him or next to the lands of the one-eyed King who claims to be the incarnation of the horned god his people worship and is rumored to eat the hearts of human sacrifices.” 

“Why, good sir, am I being ordered to go to the kingdom of Wolf Trap?”

“His court is loyal to him. It is not without reason that they are called his ’wolf pack.’ However, his lords are in need of training and you are the very person to train them.”

“I see. Am I going alone?”

“No, I am sending Sir Brian and Sir James with you.”

“And suppose he sends me back.”

The king smiled. “He won’t. It doesn’t take his second sight to see what would happen if I were to declare that nobody was to trade with his kingdom.”

***  
As she rode towards the south where King Will’s kingdom lay, she thought of the rumors about him. She had heard that his hold on his health was tenuous, that he had mad fits, that he went into trances when talking with the spirits, that he had little to no skill at fighting. On the other hand, he was not known to be cruel, did not overly tax his subjects to fund extravagances for himself, and had a remarkably peaceful court with an unusual lack of intrigue.

Unlike other kingdoms whose palace were in the largest city, King Will’s castle was on an island in the middle of the largest lake in the kingdom. The edges of the island were sheer cliffs except for a low-lying beach where ships could dock and drop off supplies, thus limiting invasion routes. She and her companions got on a boat that ferried them across the still blue waters. 

The palace was modest by most standards, not a ruin by any means but not as imposing or glamorous as those of his neighbors. The throne room held a throne that was simple in materials and design. However, she did not pay much attention to the chair because King Will stood next to it.

She had dismissed rumors that his long-gone mother had been a nymph or a selkie but his unusually handsome face framed by dark curls and eyes that were the color of the lake made her reconsider. His frame was not that of an ascetic nor one gone soft from luxury. Beverly smiled. Perhaps it would not be as unpleasant as she feared.

“Please introduce yourselves,” said King Will.

“I am Lady Beverly, accompanied by my fellow knights, Sir Brian and Sir James. We and our troop have been sent by King Jack of Crawford to be of service to you and help you train your army.”

“I understand. If you had the neighbors I have, you wouldn’t be interested in having them next door to your kingdom either. I only hope that your king does not desire tribute in return.”

Lady Beverly raised an eyebrow at such frank talk from a monarch. “He made no such mention though of course, it is expected that we will be treated hospitably.”

“Of course,” said King Will. “I’m not a barbarian. Your king sent me a letter informing me of your coming so I’ve had the kitchen cook a meal. I hope that you like fish. I assure you that they’re fresh.”

The lunch was simple fare but well-prepared and unstinting in quantity. Sir Brian rubbed his stomach and groaned while Sir James chuckled at his gluttony. The wine was white and did not distract from the delicate texture and flavor of the fish. 

“If you do not mind, I would like to see the men who make up your council, also known as your ‘wolf pack,’” said Lady Beverly. 

“They will be at tonight’s dinner. I . . .” The king was interrupted by an appearance of his faithful steward. 

“My liege,” said Matthew. “An ambassador from King Hannibal awaits you in the throne room.”

“He did not write me that he was going to send an emissary,” said King Will, frowning. He got up and walked back into the throne room. Lady Beverly followed him along with Sir James and Sir Brian. 

Lady Beverly saw an old man stooped over in heavy robes, wheezing, “King Will, have you thought of the immense offer my master desires to gift you?”

“You mean of creating an alliance between myself and the Emperor while breaking the one I have with the King of Crawford.”

“Yes, it would be mutually advantageous.”

“Define mutual, King Hannibal,” said King Will. 

Everybody around King Will gasped. 

“I have no idea . . .”

King Will pulled out his sword. “Do not test me.”

The emissary paused. The formerly seemingly enfeebled man straightened his back, threw off his outer robes and put his hand over his face only to reveal that it was a very well-made mask. Who stood before them was King Hannibal dressed in his finest. 

Lady Beverly pulled out her sword. “Why are you here?”

Hannibal ignored her. “I see that Jack has sent you some interesting guests.”

“Why come yourself?” said King Will.

“Because I offered you a precious gift I’ve offered to nobody else yet you thoughtlessly refuse it . . .”

“You think I’d change my mind if you came here personally?” said Will. “I confess I do not have much compared to you but I like what I have. Jack has sent me knights who will help me protect it.”

“I could offer you more than he ever would.”

“But at what cost? I know that I would no longer be King of my own lands, but your thrall. I’m a trifle surprised that you haven’t gone to Vergerland with your offer.”

“I despise Mason,” said Hannibal. 

“I wasn’t thinking of that Verger,” said Will.

Hannibal smiled. “The thought had crossed my mind though I doubt she’d see me as being much better than her brother. Neither of us suit the other.” Hannibal turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” said Matthew. “You come in here and . . .”

King Will said, “He did come under false pretenses but he did not attack anyone. Unless we are willing to risk a war, we can not keep him here.”

Hannibal smiled as he sauntered his way towards the exit.   
***  
Seven young lords came to dinner. It was obvious that King Will felt a deep warmth for them and that they returned his affection. “This is Lord Winston,” said King Will, introducing a dark-eyed blond. “This is Lord Buster,” he said, referring to a petite pale lad with dark hair. He introduced the rest of them to the knights of Crawford. 

“They’re awfully young,” said Lady Beverly to King Will in private after the dinner. “I was expecting some older war-grizzled veterans in your circle. Who is your strategist?” Instead of a wolf pack, they reminded her of puppies held on one’s lap near a roaring fire on a winter’s day.

“I am my own strategist.”

Dear gods, thought Lady Beverly. 

“I know that you think I’m being overconfident but the neighbors I have don’t respond to typical battle strategy. I once had more conventional generals named Purnell and Krendler.”

“I see that you talk of them in the past tense.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

Lady Beverly sighed. “Even if you’re fighting unpredictable foes, you still need to train your army and officers in the basics. And if you don’t take it the wrong way, I’d like to see how well you yourself are prepared.”

“By all means . . . But I‘d like for you to be open to learning a few things from me as well.”


	2. Chapter 2

Being King Will’s personal trainer led Lady Beverly to quite a few surprises. He was amazingly good at fist fighting and decent with a sword but rather lacking with a crossbow. Standing behind him, she corrected his stance and moved his shoulders so he could aim better at the bull’s eye target she had set up behind the castle. “You should be as good at many things as possible. You never know when it’s the only thing you have to use,” said Lady Beverly.

“How are my lords doing?” said King Will after shooting an arrow closer to the center. 

She said, “Brian and James have focused on getting them to focus, work as a team and have more of a martial attitude. They are doing better though I would be much more comfortable with the learning sticking if the training lasted at least six months.”

“I would not mind you and your friends staying that long.”

“If you do not mind me asking . . .”

“Go on.”

“Usually someone like you has a queen by now.”

He laughed. “My lands are small and surrounded by three much larger kingdoms. Also, I have little interest in balls and other niceties. My manners are rough and unpolished. If I were a fish, I would be thrown back by whoever caught me.”

“You underrate yourself,” she scolded. 

“And yet I am unmarried. I did once court Lady Alana of King Jack’s court only to be told that my situation was much too unstable to her liking. And how about you? Is there a lord courting you at home?”

Before Lady Beverly could respond, Matthew ran up to them. “Lady Margot and her maid have come here to seek asylum!”

“King Mason’s sister?” said King Will.

“Yes, my lord!” cried Matthew.

“I will go see them now.” King Will turned to Lady Beverly. “As a representative of King Jack, I want you to be a part of this discussion.”

***  
Lady Margot and her serving maid Judy were sitting on the couch in his drawing room. “I request refuge and your protection.”

“Why did you not choose a different kingdom?”

“I do not trust the other kings,” she said. 

“You know that the size of my lands limits what I can do to protect you.”

“I know that but while my brother’s army is large, it is mostly one made of mercenaries. His people hate him and while I am not precisely loved, they would much prefer the chance of a normal rule than any more years of his mercurial cruelties. I am willing to pledge that the second I attain the throne I will bind myself to a contract where our kingdoms will be at peace and if our mutual neighbor the cannibal king were to attack you, I would join forces with you.”

King Will frowned. “So, the alliance would be based on a treaty but not marriage.”

Lady Margot gave him a thin smile. “I am afraid that is so. I have no interest in merging our countries or giving anyone power over me after my years in the tower.”

“There is a prophecy that any son born of you is the one to overthrow him.”

“That’s not the precise wording of the prophecy,” said Lady Margot. She reached out to her serving maid. “The prophecy says that the male heir that I cause to come into being will be the next King. Upon my instructions, my serving maid seduced my brother and I intend to adopt him as my heir. He will not grow up to be the monster Mason is now.”

“He will be sure to send a messenger here demanding that you both be returned and that refusal of his request will be an act of war.”

“I know though I have to tell you that he has always intended to attack your kingdom. It would be better to ally yourself with someone who has a claim to the throne. I believe that once it becomes clear that there‘s a chance to throw off Mason‘s yoke, more of my countrymen will come to your aid or at least abandon my brother‘s army.”

“I grant your request for asylum,” said King Will.

Lady Margot and Judy looked surprised then pleased. “We are so grateful for your help.”

“I prefer that your presence here be kept as secret as possible for as long as possible.“ King Will turned to Lady Beverly. “I need you to contact King Jack and tell him that I call on his protection to help defend us.”

“I will write him and send it by carrier pigeon,” she said.

***  
“Your King has declined to help us,” said King Will. “He strongly suggests that I turn her over to her brother.”

“I can not believe he is not honoring your request.” She genuinely felt upset though the practical side of her understood his reasoning.

“He believes it is a fight I should not involve myself in.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I intend to honor my promise. I thank you for all the help that you’ve given my forces,” he said. “I think that you should tell your soldiers that your help is no longer required and ride back before you become involved.”

“I’ll be staying,” she said.

“What?”

“I can’t speak for the rest of my knights but I will be fighting with you.” 

“He will not be pleased that you’re not returning.”

“I will tell him that I’m still training you. There are some things you can only learn in the midst of battle.”

King Will looked truly touched. “I’m truly glad you’re staying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not uber romantic but I don't see the relationship as being flowers & hearts but more on a willingness to talk to each other and be honest.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later, King Will stood at the head of the table where his “wolf pack,” Lady Beverly, Sir James and Sir Brian were sitting. “King Mason has found out where Lady Margot is hiding,” he said. “He has sent a demand letter for both Lady Margot and her maid to be handed over immediately or he will consider it an act of war.”

“What will you do?” said Lord Winston.

“I have already sent back a letter stating that Lady Margot and her maid has actually sought refuge in the temple of the gods and that we can not remove her without committing the gravest of blasphemies.” 

Sir Brian groaned. “I know it is the chivalrous thing to do to protect a lady but we’re talking all-out war.”

“If the knights of Crawford would like to evacuate from the area, I will not stop you. However, I expect the lords under me to stand by me.”

“Do you have a strategy to deal with this catastrophe?” said Sir James.

“Several parts of the border are peppered with swamps riddled with quicksand. We’re trying to funnel their forces into going towards those areas. I also have my reasons to believe the fighting will not be as lopsided as you all fear.”

“Would you care to tell us those reasons?”

“The core of King Mason’s forces are mercenaries. They will fight hard but there are limits to their loyalty. Many of Vergerland’s people find the current king cruel and oppressive and Lady Margot has a claim to the throne. The fact that she has the force of prophecy behind her may give her countrymen reason to rise against him while he‘s away from the capital.”

Lady Beverly frowned. “We still don’t have the backing of the Kingdom of Crawford. Also, it’s been known that even the most vile king can rally his countrymen to kill and loot other countries.”

“Not while their own home is on fire,” said King Will. “I’m sorry I can’t say more than that, even to my close advisers.”

***  
“You’re not coming home?” said Sir James to Lady Beverly as they sat at a table in her room.

“No, I’m staying here and fighting with King Will.” She knew that they would have a great deal of trouble understanding her decision. She had a hard time articulating to herself why she was staying except that the man was not who she had been encouraged to think he was. 

Sir Brian scowled. “His forces are outnumbered and ill-equipped in comparison to the Vergerland forces. You’ve already written three times to the King begging him to change his mind and he has refused you three times.”

“That is true,” said Lady Beverly. “It’s because of that refusal I plan to fight with him. He needs all the help he can get and he deserves it.”

“Then I’m staying too,” said Sir Brian.

“So am I,” said Sir James.

“Why?”

“We may not believe in this king but we are a team and we’re not leaving you to face this alone.”

“James . . . Brian.” She was truly touched by their gesture of loyalty.

Sir Brian grumbled. “Now lets get some beer.”

***

King Will stood next to Lady Beverly as they stood on a hill overlooking part of the border. King Will had put Lord Winston in charge of the castle in the middle of the lake and ridden out with the rest of the lords and the army. The vast Vergerland army massing a mile away from Wolftrap’s northern border made Lady Beverly’s heart sink. She turned to King Will, who still managed to look spookily calm. “Look!” he said. 

The vast Vergerland army that had been marching forward, slowed to a stop then slowly began marching north away from the border.

“Why are they retreating?” said Lady Beverly. 

Matthew came riding up to King Will, holding a piece of paper. The king read the scrap of paper and smiled. “Just as I thought.”

“What did you think?” said Lady Beverly. 

“While the majority of King Mason’s forces were moved to our borders, King Hannibal decided to make inroads into the northern part of Vergerland towards the capital. King Mason has had to retreat in order to protect his hold on his own kingdom.”

“Why would King Hannibal do that? Did you form an alliance with that madman?” said Lady Beverly, narrowing her eyes.

“He didn‘t do it to protect me,” said King Will. “He has hated King Mason for years. During a visit by King Hannibal and his entourage to Vergerland, King Mason once laid hands on the king’s sister, Duchess Mischa and only a dozen bodyguards kept King Hannibal from ripping out the King Mason’s heart then and there. King Mason has continually made insulting and boastful remarks about the superiority of his kingdom and ancestry so this has been a long time in coming. All he needed was King Mason to be away from his stronghold.”

“So, is it over? I mean, for us.”

“For now,” said King Will. “For me, it is the ultimate win-win proposition. If King Mason wins, I no longer have King Hannibal to worry about. If King Hannibal wins, I no longer have King Mason to worry about. Then the winner will have to spend treasure and time to consolidate their gains if he tries to take over the other’s country.”

“They could decide to join forces.”

“Their personal hatred for each other overrides their greed for my territory. Assuming that it is Mason that is killed in battle, my assistance to the next heir of Vergerland should be useful. Considering how valueless your king’s assurances are, I need an alliance with someone who is in my debt and has a more pressing problem that we share.” 

***  
After several months of fighting, King Mason lost his head and his life to King Hannibal in battle near their countries‘ mutual border. Vergerland refused to surrender to the self-proclaimed godking and Lady Margot, accompanied and guarded by a force made of a mixture of the knights of Crawford and the lords of Wolftrap, was hastily taken to the capital and installed as Queen so the country had a monarch to rally around. Facing the combined forces of a population more willing to fight for their current sovereign and King Will’s forces, King Hannibal’s forces withdrew, having fulfilled its main purpose of revenge and punishment.

Seeing that King Will was a true and valuable ally, Queen Margot gladly entered into a mutual defense and trade treaty with him, though she stuck to her decision that the alliance would not be based on matrimony, which suited King Will just fine. 

***

“I suppose King Jack won’t be too happy that I’m no longer solely dependent on his patronage,” said King Will as he sat relaxed and pleased under the shade of a tree, peeling an crisp, yellow apple with a small knife. 

“The way I see it, he brought it on himself,” said Lady Beverly.

“He won’t like you telling him that,” said King Will. “I know his temper.”

“How can I tell him if I never see him again?”

King Will put down his knife. “You want to stay here permanently?”

Lady Beverly smiled. “It’s too quiet in Crawford. That is, if you don’t mind me staying.”

“I was about to ask you to.”

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't imagine Will's kingdom winning in a straight forward battle against a very well-funded enemy with a core group of nasty fighters. But based on how he played Hannibal against Mason in the series, I could see him strategically maneuvering them against each other to protect himself.


End file.
